Safety-razor-blade stropper



W. HEEPE.

SAFETY RAZOR BLADE STROPPER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.3, 1920.

1 ,405,0132; Patented Jan. 31, 1922.

: m .9 g I 3' W w 25 QM mumtoz UNHTED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

WILHELM HEEPE, 0F WILHELMSHAVEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOB TO ACHILLE STARACE & (10., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPOQRATION OF NEW YORK.

SAFETY-RA'ZQR-BLADE STROPIPER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 31, 1922.

Application filed April 3, 1920. serial No. 371,843.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, \VILHELM Hears, a citizen of the Republic of Germany, residlng at \Vilhelmshaven, Germany, have invented an Improvement in Safety-Razor-Blade Stroppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an'apparatus for sharpening or stropping safety razor blades ofthe thin sheet metal type, provided-with either one or two cutting edges, and has particular reference to a device of this character whereby the sharpening element is bodily revolved, by a swinging action, about the axis of the razor blade holder, and at the same time said sharpening element is itself rotated about its own axis, means being provided for rotating said sharpening element during its bodily gyratory movement, and means being also provided for maintainin the razor blade in engagement with sai sharpening element at all times during the operation of the device.

The particular object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated, which may be held in the hand by a supporting spindle, preferably in a vertical position, and revolved or gyrated about the axis of said spindle to perform the sharpening operation, said operation being possible owing-to the particular design and construction. of the cooperating parts and the peculiar relation thereof to the novel means of operating said device.

Another object of the inventionis to so construct and shape the sharpening element that the same wili traverse up and down the edge of the blade during the combined rotation and gyration, of said element, thereby producing an even and uniform stropping or sharpening of the edge.

A further object is to so mount the razor blade holder that the razor blade will be held constantly in contact with the sharpening element, irrespective of the direction in which the device is revolved or swung about its supporting spindle.

It is also contemplated to provide meansv for removing or replacing the contacting surface of the sharpening element according to the character of thesharpening desired.

Briefiv, the invention comprises a main sup )orting spindle, having mounted about its intermediate portion and at right angles at a swing thereto, the inner and tag or re the blade holder, supported by said spindle,

toproperly engage the sharpening element and be carried around with it, as said sharpening element, moving with the swinging-arm, is revolved about the spindle during the operation of the device. The lower end portion of the spindle, below the swinging arm, is provided with a hand grip forming a means for operating the device in the manner specified.

To provide for a rotation of the sharpening element about its own axis, during the bodily gyratory movement thereof about the supporting main spindle, said spindle and supporting axis of the sharpening element are provided with suitable connecting gearing or similar operating means, mounted within the swinging arm in a manner to be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of the/safety razor blade stropper made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in elevation and partly'in section, of said device.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the swinging arm with the gear cover removed.

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the device.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on lines A-B of Fig. 1. I

Figs. 6 and 7 are plan views of the gripper members adapted to be attached to the holder for securing the razor blade in position, and

Fig.8 is an elevationbf a modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the apparatus comprises a substantially vertical main supporting spindle 2, the lower end portion of which being supplied' with a hand grip l, and than er end portion with a safety razor blade ,iiolder' eetdprieing com plementary clamping plates 3 and 4, between the outer ends of which the blade 5 is supported and clamped. The inner end portions of said plates 3 and 4 are crossed about the upper end portion of the spindle 2, and said plates in their clamped position are held a spring 6 encircling the said spindle 2 said spring having its free ends engaging the in- "ner faces of the crossed end portions of the plates 3 and 4.

Mounted about the intermediate portion of the spindle 2, between the hand grip 1 and blade holder, and at right angles thereto, is a swinging or revolving arm 18, said arm being preferably provided with a weighted outer end 24. The inner end of said arm surrounding the spindle 2 is also provided with an enlargement 25, forming a proper bearing for this supported end of the arm. Mounted in the weighted end 24 of the swinging arm 18 is a rotatable spindle 16, having detachably secured thereto a supremovably secured to said support 8. his support 8 is preferably in the form of port 8 for a grinding or stropping element an oblique, transverse section of a cylinder,

the upper face thereof being hollowed out as at 10, and a portion of the outer periphery recessed, producing a peripheral flange 9, and thereby providing a means for seating or supporting the sharpening element 7. In order to securely clamp the sharpening element 7 to its support 8, there is positioned within the hollow portion 10 a spring 11, comprising a single coil 12, provided with a pair of laterally projecting U- shaped clips or members 14, adapted to extend into laterally disposed slots 15 in the walls of the support 8 formed by the hollowed out portion 10, and by reason of their spring action .bear against and engage the corresponding interior surfaces of the grinding or stropping element 7, whereby the latter is held in the desired position on said support, yet at the same time can be readil 'removed when necessary to substitute a di ferent character of strop or sharpening element. For ordinary stropping operations,

the element 7 will be constructed of leather or the like, but when it is desired to produce a grinding action rather than a stropping action, said leather element can be removed and a grinding element substituted therefor.

In order to maintain the razor blade in position between the clamping'plates 3 and 4, there is employed a form of grip er shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This'prefera 1y comprises a strip of suitable material 26, provided on one surface with pins 27 adapted to fit into corresponding recesses in the clamping plate 3, and also with recesses 28 forming bosses on the reverse side ofthe gripper to enter the holes'or openin s ordinarily employed in the usual form 0 safety razor blade, these openings in the razor blade being indicated at 29. The gripper is also provided with a stem 30, adapted to pass through an opening formed in the clamping plate 3 for this purpose, and exteriorly of said clamping plate the stem 30 is supplied with a washer 31 for securing the gripper in position in the clamping plate 3. The stem 30 or the washer 31 may be manipulated with the handle 32, by means of which, as will be understood, the gripper may be turned about the stem 30 as an axis so as to rotate the razor blade through an angle of 180 without removing the same from the holder of the apparatus, the parts of the holder being maintained in position with the razor blade between them by the action of the spring 6. This spring 6 is secured in position in a groove 33 in the spindle 2, and, as will be apparent, normally maintains the parts of the holder together with the razor blade therebetween and frictionally binds said holder to said spindle. 1

The blade holder, as will also be understood, can be rotated about the spindle 2, but because of the frictional action of the spring 6, it is so retarded in its movements as to lag behind the turning movement of the swinging arm 18, so that the edge of the stropper is maintained against the. edge of the blade without the aid of special devices for accomplishing this purpose.

In the form of the invention shown n Fig. 8, the holding device for the blade 1s of a modified form and the gripper member 100 is omitted entirely. In this construction, one of the clamping plates of the blade holder is provided with knobs 34 and the other clamping plate with openings 35 in registering positions, so that the knobs 34 106 may pass through the fastening holes 29 in the razor blade and in the openings 35 to secure the blade in position in the holder.

The swinging arm 18 during the operation of the device -is adapted to be revolved about 110 the supporting spindle 2, and "during this swinging movement the sharpening element 7 and the support 8 are carried therewith. At the same time this sharpening element is also caused to rotate about its own axis so 115 that said sharpening element is not only bodily revolved about the main supporting axis of the device but is also mounted for independent rotation. This is accomplished preferably by a train of ears consisting of 120 a gear 19, secured to the s arpening element supporting spindle 16, and a gear 22 secured to the main supporting spindle 2. Interposed between the gears 19 and 22 is an idler gear 20, mounted upon a stub shaft 21, 126 carried by the revolving arm 18. All of the above mentioned gears are housed within the hollowed portion 17 formed in the bottom faceofsaid reV olving arm 18, and said gears when in position are completely inclosed '130 within the arm 18 by a cover plate 23, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. With this construction, it will be noted that ,as the main supporting spindle 2 and its associated gear 22 are substantially non-rotatable during the operation of the device, the revolving aption of the swinging arm 18 about said spindle will cause a rotation of the support 8, by reason of the interconnecting gears 19 and 20, in an obvious manner, as will be apparent upon referring to Fig. 2. During this operation the sharpening element 7 will be in contact with the edge of the razor blade as the support 8 is properly spaced with respect to the razor blade and holder to permit this action. During the individual rotation of the sharpening element 7 and its bodily gyratory movement about the main supporting spindle 2, the razor bladewill be pressed against the sharpening element 7, and at the same time the razor blade holder will be revolved about the spindle 2, the frictional engagement of the holder with the spindle maintaining the razor blade in contact with the stropping element 7 at all times, irrespective of the direction in which the swinging arm 18 is revolving.- During this sharpening operation, by reason of the peculiar shape of the sharpening element 7 and its support 8, said sharpening element will be caused to moveup and down the same side of the razor blade during the continuous revolving of the arm 18" and the simultaneous individual rotation of the sharpening element 7 in the same direction.

The whole operation, as above described, is performed by simply grasping the device by the hand grip 1, holding the same preferably in a vertical position, and executing a swinging motion suflicient to cause the swinging arm 18 to revolve or gyrate about the main supporting spindle 2. Swinging the arm in one direction will sharpen one.

side edge'of the razor blade,and in order to sh arpen the other side edge it is only necessary to reverse the swinging action. The arm 18, being provided with an enlarged weighted" outer end portion 24;, sufiicient inertia is assured, which is necessary in order to produce an eflicient operation of the device in the manner specified.

What I claim is:

1. In a razor blade sharpening device, the combination with a supporting spindle, of a swinging arm having its inner end revolvably mounted on saidspindle, a razor blade holder frictionally carried by the upper end of said spindle above said arm, a rotatable sharpening element journalled in the outer end of said arm in a position to engage the razor blade carried by said holder, and means connecting the supporting journal of said sharpening element-and spindle, where by the sha ening element will be individually rotate about its axis and. simultaneously revolved about the spindle, and the blade holder will be rotated around said spindle upon the swinging of the arm about the s indle. 2. n a razor blade sharpening device, the combination with a supporting spindle, of a swinging arm provided with an enlarged weighted outer end portion and having its inner endv revolvably mounted on said spindle, a razor blade holder frictionally carried by the upper end of said spindle above said arm, a rotatable sharpening element journalled in the enlarged outer end of said arm in a position to engage the razor blade carried by said holder, and means also carried by said arm for connecting the supporting journal of the sharpening element and spindle, whereby the sharpening element will be individually rotated about its axis and simultaneously revolved about the spindle, and the blade holder will be rotated around said spindle upon the swinging of the arm about the spindle.

3. In a razor blade sharpening device, the.

combination with a supporting spindle, of a swlnglng arm provided with an enlarged weighted outer end portion and having its inner end revolvably mounted on said spindle, a razor blade holder frictionally su ported upon the upper=.end of said spind l above sald arm, a rotatable sharpening element in the form of an oblique, transverse, cylindrical section journalled 1n the enlarged outer end of said arm in a position to engage the razor blade carried by said holder, and means also carried by said arm for connecting the supportingjournal of the sharpening element and spindle, whereby the sha ening element will be individually. rotate about its axis and simultaneously revolved about the spindle and the blade holder will be rotated around said spindle upon the swinging gf the arm about the spindle.

4. In a. razor blade sharpening device, the

combination with a supporting spindle, of a swinging arm provided with an enlarged weighted outer end portion and havingits inner end revolvably mounted on said spindlefa razor blade holder frictionally supported upon the upper end of said spind above said arm, a handle on the lower end of said spindle below said arm, a rotatable, sharpening element inthe form of an,

oblique, transverse, cylindrical section journalled in the enlarged outer end of said arm in a position to engage the razor blade carried by said holder, and means inclosed within the arm for connecting the supporting journal of said sharpening element and spindle, whereby the sharpening element will be individually rotated about its axis-and simultaneously revolved about the spindle, and the blade holder will be rotated around said spindle, the razor blade being maintained in engagement with said sharpening element upon the swinging of the arm about the spindle.

5. In a razor blade sharpening device, the combination with a supporting spindle, of a swinging arm having its inner end revolvably mounted on said spindle, a razor blade holder frictionally carried by the upper end of said spindle above said arm, a rotatable support for receiving a sharpening element journalled in the outer end of said arm in a position to have said sharpening element engage the razor blade carried by said holder, means for detachably securing said sharpening element to said support, and means connecting the supporting journal of said sharpening element and spindle, whereby the sharpening element will be individually ro tated about its axis and simultaneously revolved about the spindle and the blade holder will be rotated around said spindle upon the swinging of the arm about the spindle.

6. In a razor blade sharpening device, the

' combination with a supporting spindle, of a swinging arm provided with an enlarged weighted outer end portion and having its of said arm in a position to have said sharpening element engage the razor blade carried by said holder, a spring clip positioned within the Walls of said hollow support, the ends of said clip adapted to project through openings in said walls and engage the sharpening element for detachably securing said sharpening element to said support, and means also carried by said arm for connecting the supporting 'ournal of the sharpening element and spindle, whereby the sharpening element will be individually rotated about its axis and simultaneously revolved about the Spindle and'the blade holder will be rotated around said spindle upon the swinging of the arm about the spindle.

Signed by me this 19th day of April, 1920.

WILHELM HEEPE. 

